The National Assembly Research Service with the National Assembly Forum on Local Government, the Korean Association of Party Studies and Korea Legislative Studies Institute held a joint seminar on The Party Politics and the Issues of the 2014 Local Elections.

During the first session of the seminar, six papers introduced and addressed the following issues: the possibility of a June election to become a policy-based election; controversy over education superintendent election; problems and solutions of party nomination; ways to improve women’s political participation; and current policies of local government.

The second session focused on political manifestos of the parties and policy-oriented election. Seven papers were presented, covering topics such as political ideology, party identification, reasons behind the support for a third candidate, policy-based election and manifesto movement, and encouraging Korean manifesto.

Experts from academia, politics, and civil society participated in the seminar and had fruitful discussion on major issues of the 2014 local elections and the expected changes in the political landscape after the launch of a new party.